What is a Cataract?

A cataract is a condition in which the lens of the eyes gets clouded creating diminished vision. Cataracts occur because protein builds up in the lens of the eye and it is common among old-aged adults. Cataracts cause the eyes to look foggy, clouded, and milky in appearance. This may result in facing difficulty in driving, reading, or remembering faces. Cataract surgery involves replacing the cloudy lens with a new clear lens . Cataracts are among the main causes of loss of vision among adults over the age of 45 and remain the principal cause of blindness across the world. 

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What causes cataract?

The most common cause of cataracts is aging.
Others include:

1. Inherited or developmental problems

2. Health problems such as diabetes

3. Medications such as steroids

4. Trauma to the eye

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What Are The Symptoms?

Common symptoms of cataracts are:

1. Cloudy or blurry vision

2. Light sensitivity from car headlights that seem too bright at night; glare from lamps or very bright sunlight; or the appearance of a halo around lights

3. Poor or reduced night vision

4. Double or multiple vision (this symptom often goes away as the cataract progresses)

5. “Second sight” where near vision becomes possible without glasses again because of the cataract developing in the lens. This state is usually temporary, and followed by progressive loss of distance vision

6. A need for frequent changes of glasses or contact lenses

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Cataract Treatment

Cataract Surgery

Modern cataract or lens replacement surgery is one of most successful surgeries known. It is effective in restoring vision to most patients. The surgeon makes a tiny incision on the side of the cornea, removes the eye’s clouded natural lens after dissolving it (using a procedure known as Phacoemulsification) and then replaces it with an artificial ‘Intraocular Lens’ (IOL). Because the incision is very small, stitches are not required and the eye heals quickly, allowing the patient to return to routine lifestyle within a week. Modern cataract surgery is a safe outpatient procedure that barely takes about 10 minutes. Newer advancements such as whitestar phaco (cold phaco) and microincisional phaco emulsification (MICS) have increased its safety even further.

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What Is An IOL?

An Intraocular Lens (IOL) is the replacement lens that is surgically implanted in the eye to replace the existing natural clouded lens during cataract surgery.

Types Of IOL

The design of IOL decides your need for spectacles after the surgery. Newer advanced IOL (Toric, Multifical and Accomodative) can treat cataract and get rid of spectacle power too.

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Monofocal IOL

A standard mono-focal IOL has one point of focus, which is usually distance vision. If you choose standard IOLs, you will generally need glasses for near activities like reading. On the other hand, if your mono-focal IOLs are focused on near vision, you would need glasses to see distant objects clearly.

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Toric IOL

Astigmatism means that your eye is shaped more like and egg than a round ball. This irregular shape causes blurry vision.20% cataract cases have astigmatism, which requires them to wear cylindrical powered glasses after the cataract surgery with monofocal lenses. The toric lens is a special form of a single vision cataract lens that has astigmatism correction built right into the lens implant. If you like the idea of a single vision intraocular lens and have astigmatism, then a toric lens would be a great choice for you. A toric lens that corrects your astigmatism inside the eye does a better job of correcting your vision than a pair of glasses that sit out away from your face.

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Multifocal IOL

As against monofocal IOL, which focuses at only single distance; A multi-focal IOL contains multiple zones that focus light at a variety of distances, allowing you to see a continuous range of vision without glasses. This results in excellent visual acuity of close up and far away objects. Many patients report the ability to read small print and see distances, both without glasses. This lens can however, produce rings or halos around bright lights and may make it difficult to see in low light situations, such as driving at night. While most patients adapt to this effect over a period of several months.

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Aspheric IOL

Traditional IOLs are spherical, meaning the front surface is uniformly curved. Aspheric IOLs are slightly flatter in the periphery. These lenses are designed to reduce spherical aberrations and provide better contrast sensitivity

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Phacoemulsification Cataract Surgery

Phacoemulsification is a modern cataract surgery technique that uses ultrasonic waves to break the lens into tiny pieces, which are then suctioned out of the eye. This minimally invasive procedure involves a small incision of 2-3 mm, resulting in faster recovery and fewer complications compared to traditional cataract surgery methods.

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Benefits Of Phacoemulsification Cataract Surgery:

Smaller incision, leading to fewer complications related to incision size

Lesser induced astigmatism due to the smaller incision

No hospitalization required; walk-in, walk-out surgery

Faster recovery time compared to traditional cataract surgery

Improved visual outcomes

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